Australia’s Tax Practitioners Board (TPB) is taking the lead as one of the first federal government agencies to use an integrated cloud-based solution to better access, share and manage tax data from dispersed sites.

The board regulates more than 53,000 tax and business activity statement agents. It is moving to cloud services to help staff and board members make informed decisions in a fast-changing business environment.

When the cloud service is fully operational, data access will be available from any device – onsite and remotely, and in a secure environment.

The cloud roll-out is supported by a virtual desktop platform. Business apps and data will reside on a central virtual server. The platform is “device-independent,” and connects key business offices around Australia.

This cloud initiative increases the board’s ability to respond more readily and cost-effectively to dynamic and complex business needs, according to Mark Maskell, secretary of the TPB.

He said the board is one of the first Australian government agencies to use a complete cloud-based solution. “This will enable us to be more agile and efficient which will ultimately benefit the tax practitioners we regulate.”

The TPB registers and regulates Australian tax practitioners. The cloud project marks the start of a physical and logical separation of systems and services from those of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Currently, the board does not have its own independent IT system; this is shared with the ATO.

Once up and running, cloud-hosted services will be available in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The TPB contract has been awarded to solutions provider, the ASG Group. This group supports other key federal agencies, including the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, and Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Australia’s Tax Practitioners Board TPB is taking the lead as one of the first federal government agencies to use an integrated cloud-based solution to better access share and manage tax data from dispersed sites